Former Duke men's basketball forward Zion Williamson accused of rape and abuse in civil lawsuit
Former Duke forward Zion Williamson has been accused of rape and abuse, according to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court May 29. The plaintiff, identified as Jane Doe, alleges “sexual, physical, emotional and financial” abuse over the course of a multiyear relationship, which began in 2018 when she and Williamson were freshmen at Duke.
Williamson was drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans with the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The “continuing pattern of abusive, controlling and threatening behavior” detailed in the 12-page complaint allegedly began in Louisiana and continued across several states.
The plaintiff alleges the first instance of rape in 2020, after Williamson moved to Beverly Hills, Calif., for training. According to the court filing, he returned home late one night in September and insisted she have sex with him before going to sleep. When the plaintiff refused, Williamson allegedly pinned her hands behind her back and raped her before throwing her phone across the room and choking her.
The complaint accuses Williamson of raping the plaintiff again in October 2020, this time after she expressed plans to visit a friend in San Diego. He allegedly “violently” assaulted her “in multiple ways,” then took her phone and computer to prevent her from reporting the incident or seeking medical care.
The court filing details further physical and sexual assault, including strangulation, suffocation and beatings, from 2020 to 2023 in California and Louisiana. It also alleges additional threatening actions, such as pointing a gun at the plaintiff’s head, threatening to have armed guards kill her and her family and slamming her with a car door until she lost consciousness.
The plaintiff is seeking monetary and punitive damages for emotional distress — anywhere from $18 to $50 million, according to ESPN. Her attorney, Sam Taylor II, said that the plaintiff “genuinely looks forward to her day in court when she can tell a jury of her peers what happened to her and seek justice.”
“This is a very serious case as reflected in the allegations in the complaint, which are pretty detailed,” Lanier said.
Williamson’s attorney, Michael Balascio, called the lawsuit “an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance.”
“We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and we unequivocally deny them,” Balascio said in a statement. “The allegations contained in the complaint are categorically false and reckless.”
He added that Williamson intends to file counterclaims seeking damages for the “defamatory lawsuit.” Williamson is not currently facing criminal charges.
The power forward has played for the Pelicans for five seasons, though foot and hamstring injuries have somewhat stunted his career. In the 2024-25 season, the Spartanburg, S.C., native averaged 24.6 points per game across 30 starts, shooting 56.7% from the field. His contract with the Pelicans is set to become guaranteed for the 2025-26 season on July 15.
A Pelicans’ spokesperson deferred comment to Williamson’s legal team.
The 24-year-old dealt with an unrelated lawsuit in 2019, in which his former marketing agent sought $100 million after claiming he improperly broke agreements she had to represent him in any endorsement deals. That case was settled in May 2024 on appeal, when a federal judge in North Carolina ruled the original contract was void due to noncompliance with the state’s sports agent law.
A court date for the civil suit has yet to be reported, and the case remains in early legal stages.
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Abby DiSalvo is a Trinity sophomore and sports editor of The Chronicle's 121st volume.
